Moments Like This
by Bards of Bedlam
Summary: Just a sappy little fic about my two favorite Fake pairings. Songfic to “Learning To Fall” by Martina McBride. Set after “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” RyoxDee, JJxDrake. Dedicated to Kita and Subu chan.


Hello, everyone! I'm back!

Kita and Subu-chan and I were talking about my writer's block, and we decided that it was time for me to step away from the angst for awhile, write something nice and light, and then come back to the rest of it from a fresh angle. So you have those two to thank for this story, and I'm writing it as a gift to them!

Also, if anyone has any requests for _Fake_ fanfics, I'll happily take them! I sometimes enter a slump and don't know what to write, so….requests and ideas might come in handy!

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_**Moments Like This**_

Rain was pouring onto New York City, pounding the streets and rooftops mercilessly. The night suited Dee Laytner's mood perfectly—the mood that he had been in for over a month. The rain, the thunder…depression and frustration. Depression because every time he looked at Ryo, a picture of the blond lying dead in the middle of a forest flashed through his mind…and frustration because he couldn't shake the feeling that it would happen again and he really _would_ lose Ryo this time.

Of course, Dee had tried to make Ryo believe that it was all fine. He had tried to make _himself_ believe that it was all fine. But in the end, it just…wasn't. No matter how many times he kissed Ryo, how many times they slept together, how many times Ryo whispered the three most precious words Dee knew…the black haired man just couldn't make himself believe that the man was real, was still there.

XXX

"…I don't want to go."

Ryo sighed in exasperation as he looked at the man seated on the bed. "I already told them we would, though, and… C'mon, Dee, you've barely left the house except to go to work. You haven't let me out of your sight at _all_, which I know has _got_ to be exhausting… You haven't had any real _fun_ in over a month. And…"

There was a long pause, during which Dee studied the bed covers intently.

Ryo's breath rushed out of him at his lover's dejected manner, and walked over to the bed to sit beside him. Taking Dee's hand, he gently turned Dee's face so that the black-haired man was facing him. "Dee…it's not like I'm going to die if I step outside this door and don't go straight to the precinct."

"…How do you know?" Dee asked, his voice so quiet that Ryo had to strain to hear the words.

Ryo smiled slightly, and pulled his lover into a gentle hug. "Dee…"

Dee chuckled against the blond man's neck, placing a kiss on the skin there. "I know, I know, I'm being an idiot." He sighed loudly. "What time?"

"We leave in an hour."

There was a long silence, and Ryo began to worry that his lover was sinking back into depressing thoughts again. "Dee?"

"Good," the man said suddenly, his voice husky and holding a note of lust. "That gives us some time…" 

"Oh? Time for what?" Ryo asked teasingly, already knowing the answer as Dee worked his way up and down the blonde's neck. His laughter died, however, as he was laid gently and carefully back on the bed.

"I love you, Ryo," Dee replied, his tone quiet and serious. Maybe tonight...it would all go away. Maybe tonight would be different. Maybe…

"I love you, too. Always, Dee…"

Dee's only reply was to pull his lover into a long, chaste kiss.

XXX

The Dis Patch Bar seemed very out of place in New York City. It was rather dim, not flashy, and potted plants adorned the corners of the small room. Its owner, Kellie Lindskold, had always been a lover of country and soft rock music, so that was all that was allowed to play on the jukebox. The entire place had a homey sort of feel that was very unlike any other bar in the New York.

This was the bar that four of the NYPD's best and brightest (or, in the case of Dee, best and most perverted) came on occasion to relax and rediscover their love of good conversation, leisure, and alcohol.

"They're late."

JJ laughed. "I bet I know why, too…"

"JJ!"

"Oh, don't act so scandalized. It _is_ Dee, after all."

"What is?" a new voice asked from behind the two men sitting at the bar.

"Oh, we were just talking about what a complete pervert you are," Drake replied, motioning for Ryo and Dee to take the two stools next to JJ. "You guys were supposed to be here half an hour ago."

"Well, we got, uh…distracted," Dee replied, grinning and tightening his hold on the blond man next to him.

"Dee!" Ryo exclaimed, his face coloring brightly. "Don't _tell _them things like that!"

"Why not?"

Ryo sighed dejectedly. He could already tell it was going to be a _very_ long night. "I need a drink…"

"That's my boy!" Dee said with a grin, looking extremely excited at the prospect of Ryo voluntarily consuming copious amounts of alcohol. "Hey, get this man a—!"

"Sierra Mist," Ryo finished, and the man behind the counter nodded his affirmative and told him it would be up as soon as said bartender returned from the storeroom.

Dee groaned. "Do you have _any_ idea how to have fun?"

"If he did, he wouldn't be Randy," a woman's merry voice stated from behind them. This statement was quickly followed by, "I assume you boys are here to consume ridiculous amounts of that disgusting single-malt whiskey we got in yesterday?"

"And you'd be right," Drake replied, standing up to hug the newcomer—a strong-looking woman about five feet six inches in height, all muscle and steel with graying hair, sparkling green eyes, and a wide smile. "Hi, Kellie! What're you doing here? I thought you were working the graveyard shift tonight."

"Well, that's the beautiful thing about being the owner—I can come in anytime I want. Now sit _down_, you miscreant. Oh, and that couple over at the table in the far corner would _love_ for someone to treat them to a nice round of gin martinis as a first anniversary gift, I'm sure. You'll take care of that, won't you, Drake?"

Drake sighed, and took out his wallet. "Yes, ma'am…"

Kellie laughed as she went behind the counter. "Good boy. Now, what would you boys like tonight?"

"Why don't we all start light… White wine, you guys?" JJ suggested.

"Sounds fine to me," Drake replied.

"Okay, three white wines—"

"_Two_ white wines," Ryo corrected. "I'll just have my soda, thanks."

"Oh, come on, Ryo," JJ prodded. "I can't drink 'cause of these stupid painkillers and crap, but there's no reason for _you_ not to kick back and have fun."

"No, it's fine, I don't—"

"Come on, I'll spring for a cab for all of us. You guys can take the subway in the morning and come pick up your car."

"Yeah, c'mon, Ryo, get drunk with us," Dee added. "You need some good, loose fun as much as I do...come on, ya know ya wanna…"

Ryo sighed reluctantly. "Fine."

JJ grinned in triumph. "Three white wines and a Dr. Pepper."

"Good man," Kellie said, pouring the wine. "So what have you boys been up to lately?"

"Eh, the usual," Drake replied, taking a long sip of wine. "Arrest the bad guy, get hit on the head really, _really_ hard in the process, go home, get some sleep, get up, do it all again, all while trying to make some sense of your pathetic, unappreciated, penniless existence…"

"And you love every minute of it," Ryo said. "Come on, you know it's true."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, refill, please?"

"…Where did the first one go?" Kellie asked, taking the glass and peering down into it as though wondering if maybe there was a hole in the bottom through which the drink had escaped.

"To a happy place."

Kellie sighed. "Keep an eye on him, won't you?" she requested, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "I have work to do. I can't be over here playing mother to him all night, but I'd rather he left the place conscious enough to walk with JJ's help…"

"We'll watch him," JJ replied. "Don't worry."

"Thank you. Ugh…a hostess's job is never done… Hello, how can I help you?" And with that, Kellie was gone.

"So, JJ, when are you back on active duty?" Ryo asked, taking a delicate swallow of his drink.

"Ugh, don't even get me started. The doctors are morons."

"JJ…" Drake began.

"Yeah, yeah, they're doing what's best for me, they know what they're talking about, they're trained to do this, yada, yada, yada." Sighing, he turned to look at Ryo again. "They're saying a possible _six months_ before I have full and good use of my arm and a _year_ of physical therapy, and even then they're not guaranteeing that that'll be enough time for a full recovery. It all depends on how all the surgeries go and how well I do in therapy and crap like that. I'm gonna work as hard as I can to be out of therapy and completely back to normal in less than a year, though."

"JJ…" Drake interjected again.

"Don't you dare start, Drake." Then, at the questioning looks of the other two, JJ explained, "He's being really overprotective. He keeps telling me I'm pushing myself too hard."

"You _are_ pushing yourself too hard." Drake pulled JJ gently against him, careful not to jostle the purple-haired man's arm, which was supported by a heavy sling and held nearly immobile, or put stress on any of his other numerous injuries, which still had not completely healed.

"No I'm not. Stop worrying," JJ replied, although he looked very pleased at Drake's open display of affection. It wasn't something that Drake had gotten used to giving quite yet, but he was opening up more and more every day, and to JJ, it was like the sun coming out from behind clouds that had been there for far too long.

XXX

That night, the topics flitted back and forth between serious and not-so-serious, and occasionally the conversation just got downright _insane_, but it wasn't until they had moved from gin martinis to vodka martinis with a twist and an extra kick that the song playing on the jukebox caught Ryo's attention.

"Oh, I love this song…"

_I was alone in the dark  
Never let down my guard  
Closed the curtain on my heart_

_So the world could not see_

_All the demons in me_

_Told myself I was free._

"Gee, why does _that_ sound so familiar?" Dee asked, nudging Ryo teasingly.

"Shut up, you…" Ryo muttered, standing up. He was already well loosened up by the alcohol, and the bar was a bit on the empty side, anyway… Smiling slightly, the blond man took Dee's hand and pulled him up. "Dance with me?"

Dee paused, and then a genuine smile spread across his face. His only reply was to give Ryo's hand a gentle tug to lead him out onto the near-empty dance floor. Ryo moved into his lover's arms, resting his head on the taller man's shoulder as they swayed to the beat of the music.

_But you showed me how wrong I could be_....

"Dee?" the blond man asked quietly after a moment.

"Hmm?" Dee replied quietly, his face buried in Ryo's soft hair.

"When…when did you first…_know_?"

Dee blinked, and then placed his hand under Ryo's chin and lifted it slightly. He was, needless to say, confused. He found the answer to his unspoken question written all over Ryo's face, however, and a small smile touched his lips. He pulled his lover's head back onto his shoulder and went back to swaying to the music. "Well…"

**-Flashback-**

**Dee stirred reluctantly, his eyes protesting their return to use as he forced them open on the morning sunlight that was filtering through Ryo's window. He blinked, confused, at his surroundings.**

_**Where the hell…?**_

**Then his mind registered the weight that was resting on his arm, and he slowly turned his head to look down, almost afraid of what he might find.**

…_**Merry Christmas to me…**_

**The night before came back to him in a rush. They hadn't done anything more than exchange a few kisses and some good conversation, but it had been more than Dee had ever expected to have with Ryo in the beginning.**

**Sighing contentedly, Dee dropped his head back onto the pillow and squeezed Ryo lightly. The blond man was sleeping deeply, his breath puffing lightly across Dee's neck, completely at peace in ways that he never was when he was awake. Hours of tender kisses and heart-healing talk, followed by several more hours of deep, peaceful sleep, had temporarily repaired the damage that life had done to Ryo's world weary face.**

**Of course, the moment Ryo awoke, the small worry lines would return to his forehead and he wouldn't be able to relax again until whatever case they were currently working on was solved. Sometimes, Dee wish he could just take the man in his arms and kiss those lines away, but Ryo never seemed to want that…**

**Then Ryo was stirring lightly against him, and all thoughts were driven out of Dee's head as the black-haired man froze. After a moment, Ryo relaxed again and slipped deeper into dreams, his body pressed warmly against Dee's, and Dee smiled and pressed a light kiss to his forehead, wishing he could wake up like this every morning.**

**It was moments like this when Dee saw the entire world with sudden and amazing clarity. He knew he wanted Ryo—lusted after him, even. He knew that Ryo was a good man—he had always known that. But beyond lust…what **_**was**_** happening here?**

**There were times when Dee had no idea what was going on in his own head, let alone Ryo's. And then there were times like this…times like last night…times when Ryo was free and open and **_**happy**_**…and at those times, Dee was absolutely certain that he **_**knew**_** what he wanted.**

**He wanted Ryo.**

**But more than that, he wanted Ryo to want **_**him**_**.**

**There had been many times in Dee's life when he honestly didn't care if his "lovers" actually loved him. He only wanted the temporary relief of tension that a night in bed with someone else could give him.**

**But now…now he wanted **_**Ryo**_**. Wanted him for himself, for who he was, for who they became when they were together. And he wanted sex, sure—he was a man, and men want sex. But it was more than that.**

**This was something else entirely.**

**Dee knew what went through Ryo's head whenever Dee jumped him and tried to kiss him. The blond man was convinced that Dee was driven by hormones and nothing else, and nothing Dee did could seem to convince him otherwise. But the fact was, there were times when Dee saw the object of his affections (or obsessions, if that's what they could be called) looking stressed and preoccupied, and could only think of one thing that might, just **_**might**_** bring a smile to Ryo's face.**

**And on the rare occasion when it actually worked…**

**At times like that, Dee felt like he'd just discovered proof that God really did exist and Heaven really was waiting for him…or had already found him.**

_**What does it mean when you spend half your life waiting for a person to smile?**_

**-End Flashback-**

_Now I'm standing on a mountain of rubble  
That once was a wall  
Took years to build around me_

"….I can't believe you were so sure….that close to the beginning."

Dee laughed. "Are you kidding me? By that time it already felt like I'd been waiting for years…."

Ryo's head dropped against his lover's shoulder, and he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

A moment later, the blond felt his head lifted gently by a hand under his chin, and he was drowning in intense pools of vivid green. These were the moments when Ryo felt as though he was rediscovering true love all over again. The feeling swept him up and sent him spinning out of control, straight into the warm, comforting cloak that Dee's love wrapped around him.

_And you came along  
And you tore it down  
Like it was nothing at all_

It had taken them both so long to get here. It still scared Ryo sometimes. Dee had a way about him….a way of taking Ryo in his arms and throwing him completely out of control. He lost all power over his emotions, his whims, himself…. But he trusted Dee to protect his heart and keep it from getting too battered.

The only thing that scared Ryo was the falling feeling. After all, as the cliché says….it's not the fall that kills you; it's the landing. But that fear was kept at bay by Ryo's firm belief that Dee would make the landing a smooth one.

_Now it's a little scary  
Learning to fall_

It seemed like an eternity of drowning before Ryo realized that there was something in Dee's eyes now that hadn't been there in the last month. It was something more than lust or love….it was comfort. Dee was warm, relaxed, in love….and _happy_.

Smiling in relief, Ryo pulled his lover's head down into a long kiss that slowly deepened and stretched out for…a moment? An hour? A lifetime?

These were the moments that Ryo wouldn't trade for anything.

XXX

"Look who's finally getting back on track…" Kellie stated, refilling Drake's rum and coke and handing JJ another Dr. Pepper. "He's pulled an all-nighter in here twice in the last month and I haven't seen him smile like that once in all that time."

Drake pulled JJ back against him as Kellie walked away. "You okay?"

The purple haired man turned to look at his lover, and smiled. "I'm _fine_, Drake. The painkillers are working very, very well."

"You know what I mean."

JJ's smile softened. "_Yes_. I'm not chasing him anymore, Drake. I'm with _you_ now. Or…have you forgotten?" His tone was teasing, but his eyes held a serious expression as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Drake's. "I love _you_, remember?"

A startled and slightly pained yelp was brought forth from JJ's throat as he was pulled suddenly into a kiss. "Yeah, I remember…but it's nice to be reminded…" Drake said, grinning as he broke the kiss.

"You should really eat something, you know," JJ said after a moment of silence. "Hey, Kellie, can we have some peanuts? Otherwise Drake—"

Then JJ was being pulled into another kiss, deeper and more passionate this time. Yes, the alcohol was definitely doing its work… "Do you _ever_ shut up?"

"Nope. Not unless forced…" Smiling, JJ initiated a third kiss, which was rather more chaste, but certainly not entirely innocent. After it ended, JJ moved into Drake's lap and leaned back against his chest, his head pillowed by a strong shoulder. "Mmm…I'm tired…"

"You okay?" Drake asked again, more concern in his voice this time. "Do you want to go?"

JJ laughed. "No, no…it's just been an exhausting time lately."

"You haven't been sleeping well." It wasn't a question.

"No…. Sleeping is really uncomfortable, even when I'm loaded up on painkillers."

Drake sighed, dropping his head against JJ's and burying his face in the sweet-smelling hair. "I love you, JJ."

It was getting easier and easier to say it.

A smile stretched across JJ's face, and he turned to plant a kiss on Drake's cheek. "I know you do."

**-Flashback-**

**Drake sighed in relief after JJ finally fell asleep. It had been a long night, filled with tears, depression, alcohol, and angry words, but it was finally drawing to a close.**

**Earlier that evening, JJ had called Drake in tears. It had been the second time that this had happened, and it wasn't getting any easier for Drake to watch his partner crying over Dee. He already had half a mind to go and make his friend suffer greatly for what he had done to JJ.**

**But now wasn't the time, and even if it was, Drake knew he wouldn't have the heart. Dee was in love; no one had the right to take that away from him.**

**Still, watching JJ sleep, his face red and swollen from hours of crying, Drake felt something stir inside him. Lately, he had felt fiercely protective of his partner in ways that he never had before Dee and Ryo had finally declared themselves an official couple.**

**There were moments nowadays when Drake could swear the dynamic was changing between the two of them. Moments when JJ came to Drake for comfort or friendship. Moments when things were just…**_**different**_**.**

**Sure, JJ was loud, annoying, overly friendly, more that a little insane, and knew no bounds when he went after something with reckless abandon as he so often did. But past all that, there was a small, vulnerable man who needed nothing more than someone to take care of him. He had been on his own for so long, thinking only of one man and not opening himself up to anyone else…and now he was suffering alone because of it.**

**Then Drake had come along, and things had changed entirely. Now the two were becoming closer and closer, and friendlier and friendlier.**

**At times, Drake thought that JJ was seeing something different in him, too. There were times when JJ seemed to look past the image that Drake had painstakingly built around himself, and see the person behind it…the person that he had tried so hard to make sure nobody saw. That thought scared Drake to death sometimes. It was refreshing to have someone that he didn't have to hide from, though…**

**The problem was, sometimes Drake thought maybe JJ wanted more than friendship. And even worse, there were times when he wondered if there would be something so wrong with that…**

**Drake was pulled out of his thoughts when JJ stirred and blinked his eyes open. "Drake?" he inquired, his voice sleep-filled and groggy. "What are you still doing here?"**

"**Well…I didn't want to leave you alone. You might have gone back to the drink if I had."**

**At that, JJ smiled with heart-stopping sweetness. It was a real, genuine smile that made Drake's heart skip a beat—with relief, he told himself firmly.**

"**Oh…well, you can go home now, if you want. I'm all right," JJ reassured.**

"**Nah, I think I'll stay," Drake replied, reaching for the newspaper on the bedside table, turning to the crossword section, and taking a pen out of his pocket. Reaching back over to the table, he turned the lamp on at its dimmest setting, which he knew JJ could sleep with. "You go back to sleep. I'm gonna stick around for awhile. Got no reason to go home, anyway."**

**JJ pushed himself up on his elbow and propped his head on his hand. "Sara dump you?"**

"**Yeah. She's gone."**

"**Oh… I'm sorry, Drake."**

**Drake shrugged. "It wasn't meant to be, I guess. Now go to sleep."**

**JJ smiled and let his head drop back onto the pillow. "Okay."**

"**Good night."**

**Silence.**

"**Drake?"**

**Drake sighed in exasperation. "What?"**

"**Why are you doing all this for me?"**

**Drake blinked. "Because you're my partner, moron. Now **_**go to sleep**_**."**

**JJ chuckled. "Okay, okay. Night."**

"**Good night."**

**JJ was asleep minutes later, but Drake didn't leave the bed. He lay there all night, not sleeping much, just watching his partner. He convinced himself that it was because he wanted to make sure JJ really was all right, but a tiny part of him—a part that he'd kept locked so tightly away that he had even managed to convince **_**himself **_**that it wasn't there—told him that it was for a bigger reason than that. He ignored that part, however.**

_**I'm **__**not**__** gay. Not, not, **__**not**__**. It can't happen. I can't like him that way. We're friends, and that's it. That. Is. **__**It**__**.**_**  
**

**Then, weeks later, JJ called him in tears for the third time and he rushed over to offer whatever he could in the way of comfort; the two ended up sharing a very passionate kiss on the couch, and Drake started to realize that something was very, very wrong with that logic…**

**-End Flashback-**

_When you looked in my eyes  
Past the fear and false pride  
You saw goodness inside_

Drake smiled as the memory faded, and pulled JJ into a sudden kiss. He pushed it deeper and deeper, every part of him pressed against JJ for warmth, comfort, love… It felt so _right_.

Drake Parker had been with women. He had been with a _lot_ of women. He'd even thought he'd loved a few of them; now, though, he realized that he was only beginning to learn what that word meant.

He had had his heart broken so many times, and each time it happened, his faith in love withered just a bit more. But now…with JJ…

_I can't believe how I feel  
I believe love is real  
And I'm ready to heal_

Drake closed his eyes and pulled JJ closer, a lump growing in his throat as everything he could have lost—or missed out on—came rushing back.

Like Dee, Drake had been half-convinced that he would wake up and find everything to be a dream…half-convinced that he would wake up and find that JJ hadn't actually lived through the explosion that had put them all through such a wringer.

But at moments like this, moments when JJ was pressed so tightly to him and his scent and warmth filled every part of the air around them, everything felt fine…and_ very_ real.

"I love you, Drake," JJ whispered.

At those words, Drake's heart swelled with love and warmth, and suddenly felt a bit too big for his chest. "I love you, too… God, I love you…"

_You show me how right I can be_

XXX

The four stumbled out of the bar hours later—Drake, Ryo, and Dee because they were drop-dead-blind drunk, and JJ because he was trying to hold them all up and avoid jostling his injuries at the same time.

"You guys need money for a cab?" Drake slurred. "'Cause I can get you the money…"

"No, I got it," Dee replied drunkenly. "It's…in my pants. So…somewhere down here in this general area…" He stared down at his pants, his eyes crossing slightly. 

"You're drunk," Ryo commented, shoving Dee lightly.

"No, _you're_ drunk."

"We're _all_ drunk!" Drake said gleefully. "Well…'cept for JJ, but he's not 'posed to be drunk…'cause… JJ, why aren't you 'posed to be drunk?"

JJ rolled his eyes. "Will you just get in the cab?"

XXX

_I was holding on, now I'm letting go_

Dee and Ryo came back to themselves a bit on the ride home, and were able to make it up to their apartment without irreparable damage. A long shower sobered them up nicely—among other things—and by the time they both stumbled into bed, they were completely exhausted, but fully in their right minds.

Ryo moved immediately into his lover's arms as soon as he hit the bed, and those arms came tightly around him to hold him in a death grip. Dee buried his face in Ryo's hair, breathing in its scent and finding comfort in it. "Tonight was good," he murmured.

"Yeah," Ryo agreed quietly.

"I needed it."

"We both did."

"…Ryo?" Dee asked quietly, shifting so that his head was pillowed on Ryo's shoulder and his breath was puffing across the blonde's neck. "I…feel better now."

Ryo's hold tightened around his lover's waist. "Are you sure?"

Dee moved so that his chin rested on Ryo's shoulder, and met the sympathetic-looking eyes—eyes that were currently clouded with worry. "Just promise me…no more stupid stunts?"

"I promise," Ryo replied with a quiet laugh.

"And…stay with me, Ryo. Forever. I…don't ever want anyone else."

Ryo's hold grew impossibly tighter. "You'll never have to have anyone else. Even if you wanted to leave, I wouldn't ever let you go."

"Promise?"

"I swear. I love you, Dee. More than anything. More than _everything_. I always will."

Dee buried his face in Ryo's neck as a single tear fought its way out of his eye and trailed down his cheek. "Ryo…" he whispered.

"I love you," Ryo affirmed, placing a kiss on the top of Dee's hair before bringing one hand up to stroke the black locks soothingly. The other hand rubbed comforting circles over Dee's back. "I love you, I love you, I love you…"

"I love you, too. So much…"

Ryo's only reply was to pull Dee closer, so close that anyone looking into the room would think there was only one person in the bed. They fell asleep like that, intertwined tightly with each other, each taking comfort and security from the other and uttering a silent prayer.

_Dear God, let him stay with me_…

_Dear God, never let him leave_…

XXX

_I was holding on, now I'm letting go_

JJ smiled fondly as he watched Drake sleep off the alcohol he had consumed that night. The purple haired man's hand came up to lightly stroke the skin of his lover's cheek, his finger tracing light circles across the skin there. Drake's only response was to grunt in his sleep and move closer, his arms finding their way around JJ's waist even in the deepest of stupors.

The smile grew as the minutes ticked by, and JJ was seized with the urge to jump up and start pirouetting around the room. He was kept in place only by Drake's arms and the knowledge that doing so would cause him an extreme amount of pain.

Drake was his…all his. Every single glorious inch of this man was _his_. It was as heady and intoxicating as a fine wine, only without the hangover, and it made JJ want to laugh giddily every time Drake's face came into his head.

There had been times when JJ was certain he knew _just_ how Dee had felt during the two long years that it had taken him to win Ryo's heart. Moments when he was certain he had completely destroyed their delicate friendship with that first kiss. Moments when he wanted to curl up and cry himself right into the arms of death whenever he contemplated the idea of not having Drake in his life anymore.

And then there had been times, like now, when JJ felt like he couldn't possibly have been more blessed than he was now. Those were the times that JJ loved. And the other times….well, JJ wouldn't ever have to worry about those other times again.

The physical aches and pains faded as JJ lost himself in his lover. He shifted and curled up against Drake's chest, careful not to wake his lover, who's arms only tightened around him. A quiet, incoherent murmur escaped Drake's lips against JJ's ear, no more than a breath.

That murmur was the last thing JJ heard and felt before he allowed sleep to claim him. He had no idea what Drake had said, but the trust and love that radiated from him even in sleep was enough to keep JJ from wondering about it.

Drake smiled in his sleep, JJ's soft voice and soothing touch filling his dreams.

In their sweet, soothing dreamlands, each mind whispered calming, loving words to its partner.

_You're all I could ever ask for_...

_You're all I'll ever need_…

_You mean the world to me._

XXX

_Now I'm standing on a mountain of rubble  
That once was a wall  
Took years to build around me  
And you came along  
And you tore it down  
Like it was nothing at all  
Now it's a little scary  
Learning to fall_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hmm….I have to say, I'm rather proud of this one. I don't do songfics often, because usually they turn out sounding awful and completely lame, but I do actually like this one. Now, I realize that I skipped a chorus and the last "I was holding on" part, but….live with it! It's my story!

Oh, and if it wasn't clear, Dee's flashback took place right after the third manga when Dee and Ryo spent Christmas Eve together.

Now, I have several plans in mind for _Fake_ fanfics, but they're all multi-chaptered and a little on the angsty side, so don't get your hopes up for something happy and fluff filled like this one has been! Of course, there will be fluff moments in all of my stories, no matter how angsty, because I _love_ fluff, so that should please all you gooey romance lovers out there! But yes, as I said, I do have plans in mind for more _Fake_ stories, so have no fear! I shall return!

All right, now I have to get the original story I was working on done, and I have twenty or thirty stories that I need to edit and critique, so this might be my last fanfic for a little while. Don't lose faith in me, guys!

In the meantime, please review and tell me what you thought!

Oh, and if you haven't heard any of Martina McBride's music, you really ought to….she has an amazing voice….

All right, this is your friendly neighborhood _Fake_ writer, signing off. Over and out!


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